Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
New pub visits 2024 with Mobyduck
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Libertine, Borough, SE1
SE1
SE1 1PQ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 6 of 10) see review guidelines
Moby Duck left this review about The Libertine
A decent sized corner pub, a tad gloomy inside with its fair share of dark wood and dark green walls. As mentioned below there is a dart board in one corner,oddly flanked on the wall beside it with a Hieronymus Bosch Garden Of Earthly Delights triptych.
On the bar three handpumps with a choice of two, Oakham Citra and Brick Peckham Pale,mostly normal keg stuff with a sprinkling of mainstream craft. All in all an ok pub.
On 12th May 2023
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1872 recommendations about 1845 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Libertine
Typical London street corner local, high ceilings, tables and chairs around the windows. Theres what seems to be a popular darts area. Nice inside, smart, house plants in placesm real ale
On 24th September 2022
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about The Libertine
This was founded in 1825 as the Skinner’s Arms and rebuilt for Whitbread in 1896.
I hadn’t added this pub to my to-do list, because it doesn’t retain the original pub name; if I hadn’t glanced it down a side street, I’d have missed it and certainly during daytime without lights to guide the way; this only goes to show the perils of pubs adopting stupid, non-pub related names. The scuffed floor is still there from the previous review and the raised darts area, which aren’t the pub’s finest hour. However, the pleasing sea green colour scheme is on show, with dark wood wainscotting to the dado, lighting being Victorian style. Furniture is conventional, with décor in the form of framed prints and large potted palms; it’s really rather nice, especially when paired with decent tunes on the hi-fi; an added bonus is that there were no games machines or visible TVs; to the rear is a comfortable, carpeted snug of sorts. Customers seemed to be young professional types, probably recent incomers to the area.
The old-school landlady was friendly and welcoming, with a beer range that puts most of the local pubs to shame: three pumps, one dispensing the rather pedestrian offering of Sussex Best, but then two hitherto unheard-of London brewed ales, Forest Road’s Work IPA and Brockley’s Pale Ale at a very agreeable £2.25 a half and very nice it was too.
Due to the non-pub silly name, this was an unexpected find, one of the best in SE1.
On 14th November 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Libertine
Probably was a fairly fancy place many years ago but has been gradually stripped back and left to gently decay. The front area is grubby bare board, bland goo green / grey paint walls and a well-utilised darts area. To the rear is what may have been a separate small lounge which now has a worn carpet, dark green walls and fireplace with a mirror above. A few local characters in situ with some interesting chat and “I’m not a racist but [insert contradictory sentence here]” Brexit chat. A surprise entry in the 2020 GBG, there were three pumps clipped with Doom Bar, Redemption Hopspur and Watneys Spaceman, the latter of which was a thin and watery specimen (NBSS 2) served up by the best bit of the pub, a friendly and engaging barman. Didn't see much to get excited about really and I doubt it’ll be bothering the GBG in 2021 unless the local branch really are desperate to fill their quota…
On 2nd November 2019
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Libertine
Corner pub opened out at some stage to leave a rectangular bar with the counter in the middle of the inner side wall. Fairly limited number of wooden tables on a bare-board floor at the front and centre, with a smaller lounge area at the rear. Large windows in the front half but quite gloomy further back. Restrained decor. Doom Bar and Proper Job clips on two of three handpumps when I arrived, but the latter went off as it was poured so I waited a few minutes for the Truman's Gypsy Queen (£3.90) to be put on.
On 9th July 2016
- rating: 6
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Alan Winfield left this review about The Libertine
The Libertine is a corner pub that is in an area where there are lots of flats,the last time i passed this pub it was called the Skinners Arms and the area seemed to be a lot rougher that it is now,so things have improved.
Once inside there is a single oblong shaped room with the bar to the rear,the room is bare boarded,the seating is normal tables and chairs to the front and leather settees to the rear,there is a slight raised area to the front left which has a darts board and piano on it.
There were three real ales on the bar,i had a drink of Trumans Lazarus which went down very well,the other beers were Twickenham Naked Ladies and Doom Bar.
I thought this was quite a nice pub apart from the concept type background music.
Pub visited 26/5/2015
On 26th May 2015
- rating: 7
[User has posted 6113 recommendations about 6113 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Sir Tubbs left this review about The Libertine
A very friendly corner pub with excellent home-made pizzas including several veggie options, but often busy on weekday lunchtimes with many tables reserved - arrive early for lunch if you can! Popular with students from nearby South Bank and with three ales available too. Worth seeking out for pizza & beer.
On 13th February 2014
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2 recommendations about 2 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Libertine
A little bit off the beaten track in Borough, this is a somewhat quirky single roomed pub with a local yet slightly bohemian feel. Boarded flooring, reclaimed domestic dining tables with candles in dimpled pint mugs, décor includes an antelope's head sporting an Aussie hat with dangling corks, over the bar is a gold painted reclining mannequin wearing a tutu, to the rear are various framed photographs of mainly 1960s musicians and a large snake skin is stretched along a ceiling beam. All pretty standard pub stuff then, the pub is aptly named. There is a slightly raised area to a front corner where there is a dartboard, this area looks to double up as the stage for live music events judging by the lighting and speaker stacks; one wall is covered by a curious Scarfe-esque mural which I found vaguely disconcerting. The look is completed by lots of foliage in the guise of large potted plants, a pair of sofas either side of the rear fireplace provide an alternative to the mostly regular style seating.
Three handpumps on the side bar, Doom Bar, Hook Norton Hooky Bitter and Crouch Vale Citra (£3.60), decent value for the area. Food is served but the only options I could see consisted of pizzas.
I found the place to be comfortable and rather chilled, the welcome and service were down to earth and cheerful and the small group around the bar were all engaged in friendly discussion between themselves and the staff. Worth a detour off the main road.
On 30th August 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Roger Button left this review about The Libertine
The Libertine appears to be the last traditional building standing in an area that has seen extensive post war redevelopment. My only previous visit here was in its days as the Town House some years ago when it came over as a place aimed at bored housewives in search of cheap entertainment. Thankfully it has now moved on a bit.
The once brightly coloured exterior has now been dampened so it doesn’t stand out quite like it used to. Internally, it is a single knocked through room with job lot trendypub style décor and furnishings, bare floors and some interesting artwork. A raised section in the front corner has a dart board and also doubles up as a stage for live music (which was my purpose of visit). DJ’s, quiz nights and sport on TV are also regular features.
The beer range is certainly better than my previous visit with 3 ales initially available – Hop Back GB (which ran out after I managed to get my pint), Truman Swallow & Swift and the ubiquitous Doom Bar. Prices were reasonable for the area at around £3.50 a pint. On the food front they specialize in stone baked Pizzas which cost around £7-£9.
Service was efficient and welcoming and the pub itself was quite vibrant with a good Saturday night atmosphere. On the whole it isn’t really my sort of pub but I would certainly return if there was a specific reason.
On 15th April 2013
- rating: 6
[User has posted 1239 recommendations about 1233 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Libertine
Maybe it was my imagination, but I would have sworn that it has tinted windows. If so, it really is a case of it emulating the traditional pub in turning its back on the outside world, and protecting the sensibilities of passers by from the unseemly activities going on inside. In which case it’s aptly named.
Anyway, enough of that. There were a couple of ales on – Sharp’s Doom Bar and Truman Runner (£3.40 a pint). I didn’t see any menus but an A-board outside offered a Monday and Wednesday deal for students, giving two pizzas for the price of one. The inside doesn’t look much a like a students’ pub (potted plants, candles on the tables, etc) but maybe it becomes one in the evenings. There’s a small slightly raised balustraded area on the left with a dartboard, and unencumbered by any furniture cluttering it up. The rest of the room is furnished mainly with normal tables and chairs, but there are a couple of sofas lurking at the back. There are a few bits of odd decor – a snakeskin (python possibly judging by the size), a stuffed animal head sporting an Australian “cork” hat, and a pair of life size upside down gold coloured legs (!?) on top of the bar back. A couple of standard lamps at the back near the sofas emphasize the Edwardian drawing room look. It’s not the sort of pub that I would make a bee-line for, but I wouldn’t object to dropping in again sometime.
On 20th November 2011
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]